If you can no longer care for your pet, we are here to help. We offer compassion to people who must surrender their pets and provide safe shelter to animals that come through our doors. If your pet is experiencing a challenging behavior we may be able to help you resolve the issue and keep your beloved pet. Check out our library of behavior resources and, if you need further assistance, consider contacting our Behavior Help Line before surrendering your pet. Schedule a Behavior Help Line appointment for a dog or for a cat.
What to Bring
- PET RECORDS – Bring a copy of your pet’s vaccination and veterinary records to your appointment.
- BEHAVIOR INFORMATION – Be prepared to discuss your pet’s daily habits and behaviors.
- SAFE TRANSPORTATION – Be sure that dogs are on leashes and cats or other small animals are in carriers.
Where to Go
We offer pet surrender services at these locations:
The Buddy Center in Castle Rock. Our Buddy Center team is available for pet surrenders 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week.
The San Luis Valley Animal Center in Alamosa. Our San Luis Valley team is available for pet surrenders 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week.
The Leslie A. Malone Center in Denver. Our Malone Center team is available for pet surrenders 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. Upon arriving at the Leslie A. Malone Center, please drive to the back (east side) of the building and look for the doors marked Pet Admissions.
We recommend that you make an appointment for pet surrender services.
Schedule an appointment to surrender your pet at the Buddy Center.
Schedule an appointment to surrender your pet at the Leslie A. Malone Center.
We also offer call-ahead service for both pet surrender and stray pet admissions at the Leslie A. Malone Center only. During the call, we will begin the pet admissions process while you’re in the comfort of your own home and set up a time for you to bring the pet to the Leslie A. Malone Center. To use our call-ahead service, call 303.751.5772. Our pet admissions team is available for calls 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. seven days a week.
We accept pet surrenders without appointments, but wait times may be longer. Those with appointments will be prioritized and others will be accommodated according to urgency and then on a first-come first-served basis.
What happens to surrendered pets
Our goal is to find a loving home for every healthy and treatable pet in our care. We achieve this by gathering information about the pets that come into our shelters during the pet surrender process, so please be prepared to share everything you know about the pet. Although we can’t guarantee placement for any pet, we do not euthanize for time or space, and we are proud to have placed more than 17,000 pets last year.
What should I do if I found injured or orphaned wildlife?
If you find a wild animal, please refrain from touching and/or moving the animal before reading our Wildlife Resources page for helpful information.
What should I do if I can no longer care for my red-eared slider?
The Dumb Friends League is an open admission shelter that focuses on providing care for companion animals in our community. Over the past few years, we’ve seen a steady increase of red-eared sliders relinquished to the League. Red-eared sliders are an invasive species and do not qualify for rehabilitation or release programs. They are not companion animals and do not have placement options. Due to the potential impact from an ecological standpoint, accepting these turtles into our shelter is not ideal, and euthanasia is the only outcome we can provide for the red-eared sliders.
Learn more about the ecological impact of non-native turtles.
https://cnhp.colostate.edu/projects/non-native-animals/
Before bringing your red-eared slider to the League, please consider an alternative, such as rehoming, which can be done through community platforms like Nextdoor or Facebook.